Review Of Microsoft Surface Pro 9: More Complete With A Few Upgrades But Not Many Changes
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 will not have too much to say when aside from the improved processor, there are hardly any other significant upgrades compared to its predecessor.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8 are so similar that you will hardly recognize them even when you put the two devices side by side. However, the most prominent feature on Microsoft Surface Pro 9 comes from the option of 2 different processor versions.
In the version using the new Microsoft SQ3 ARM chip, 5G will be supported for the first time on the Surface tablet line. Besides, Surface Pro 9 running SQ3 chip is also the only version that can take advantage of the new neural processing unit (NPU) features.
Surface Pro 9 price and configuration
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 can now be ordered right on the Microsoft Store homepage with prices starting from 999 USD (about 24.8 million VND) for the version using Intel Core i5 Gen 12 processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD memory and Wi-Fi connection.
As for the version using ARM Microsoft SQ3 processor, it will cost from 1299 USD (about 32.4 million VND) to own the standard configuration with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD memory and 5G connectivity.
The version being used in the article will own a very high-end configuration with Intel Core i7 Gen 12 processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD memory and has a price of about 1599 USD (about 40 million VND). .
Similar in design to its predecessor, Surface Pro 9 is still beautiful but not groundbreaking
Microsoft has not changed the design of the Surface Pro 9 and has not made any significant upgrades in appearance. This strategy is not new and users must be familiar with the products from the “Apple” house. Keeping the design that is still beautiful on the old version is nothing to object to but will be boring to users.
Both versions of Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (with and without 5G) have similar dimensions of 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 and weigh about 880g. In terms of appearance, Surface Pro 9 is finished from monolithic aluminum with electrostatic anodized paint, has a kickstand on the bottom edge and magnetic connection to the keyboard. Like other Surface Pro lines, the 9th version is still compact and light enough to be able to move easily.
Surface Pro 9 offers a variety of color options so you can choose to suit your personality best including Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire and Forest. However, on the version using the Intel chip, there is only platinum color, so the selection will be slightly limited. However, silver is still the legendary color of the series and is very beautiful.
The connection port is limited but enough to use
Surface Pro 9 has different connection standards for each version. The explanation for this comes from the new Intel processor that supports the Thunderbolt 4.0 standard.
For the Intel version, Surface Pro 9 has two USB-C ports that support the Thunderbolt 4.0 standard, a Surface Connect port and a Surface Keyboard connection port. As for the version using ARM chip Microsoft SQ3 uses 2 USB-C ports without thunderbolt 4.0 support, Surface Connect port, Surface Keyboard connection port and SIM slot.
The omission of the USB-A or HDMI connection port on the Surface Pro 9 version and even its predecessor Surface Pro 8 to optimize the device’s thinness. However, basically the number of ports on Surface Pro 9 is still enough to use and when needed, there is still an expansion support dock.
Large 3:2 screen, quality display
Like the Surface Pro 8, Surface Pro 9 has a 13-inch (2880 X 1920 pixels) PixelSense Flow display with 120Hz refresh rate and 3:2 aspect ratio. The screen on the Surface Pro 9 is not outstanding, but it is still good enough to display clear, quality content for work or play.
Black Adam’s movie title trailer, which has a lot of segments using a quick cut effect between segments, is wonderfully displayed by the screen on the Surface Pro 9, without causing embarrassment when switching scenes. However, the colors are a bit pushed a bit too bright, but they provide a great movie viewing experience.
In the brightness test, the Surface Pro 9’s screen has an average brightness of 431.6 nits and 447 nits in the brightest areas. The actual brightness of the Surface Pro 9 is close to what Microsoft said when introducing it at 450 nits. Meanwhile, the tablet with the highest brightness screen still belongs to with 587 nits.
In terms of color rendering, Surface Pro 9 achieves a fairly wide color gamut with 106.1% sRGB color gamut and 75.1% DCI-P3 color gamut (closer to 100% the better). However, Pro is still marginally better with the ability to cover up to 117.1% of the sRGB color gamut and 82.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
The sound is not impressive, the volume is just enough
Surface Pro 9 owns the same sound system as its predecessor Surface Pro 8 with 2 equipped speakers. Surface Pro 9’s sound system is not overrated, but still shows clear, separate sound. On the other hand, the bass is a bit weak and loses some detail, so the song will reduce a bit of boom. In general, the speakers of the Surface Pro 9 can still handle many different sound ranges well.
In terms of volume, the Surface Pro 9 will likely disappoint many users with the volume not being too loud. The fact that you want to enjoy music at a volume loud enough to fill the whole room is completely impossible. This may be due to the fact that the Surface Pro 9 is only equipped with 2 speakers, so it is still out of breath compared to the iPad Pro with 4 speakers for much clearer sound.
Performance improves, SQ3 is full of potential
In this article we test both Intel and ARM versions but first let’s check how the performance of Intel Gen 12 processor on Surface Pro 9 has improved.
With Intel Gen 12, Surface Pro 9 achieved an impressive score in the performance test with Geekbench 5.4. The number of points that Surface Pro 9 brings is 1633 points in single-core and 8541 in multi-core, respectively. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 8 achieved a score of 1343 and 5347 respectively. The Yoga 9i from Lenovo showed a more impressive single-core performance with 1722 points but worse in multi-core with 7170 points.
Although the Surface Pro 9 has made many impressive improvements in the Geekbench test, it is difficult to compare with the iPad Pro using the M2 processor. Specifically achieved a score of 1862 points in the single-core test and 8500 points in the multi-core test, respectively.
In the 4K to 1080p video transcoding test with Handbrake software, the Surface Pro 9 completed the task in just 9 minutes and 34 seconds. Meanwhile, the Yoga 9i Gen 7 completed the same task in 12 minutes 18 seconds and the Surface Pro 8 took up to 13 minutes 30 seconds.
In the multitasking test, Surface Pro 9 easily handled quickly up to 20 open chrome tabs, including 1 tab running YouTube. Even the tablet from Microsoft shows impressive smoothness even when using YouTube running in the background.
In terms of graphics processing capabilities, Surface Pro 9 uses the integrated Iris Xe graphics core instead of a discrete card, so it is somewhat weak when handling heavy 3D tasks .
In Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, the Surface Pro 9 averaged 24FPS at 1080p and worse at just 17FPS when scaling to 1920p. In contrast to its predecessor, the Surface Pro 8 achieves up to 37FPS and 29FPS at resolutions respectively. If you are passionate about games, you should consider using Xbox Cloud Gaming or GeForce Now.
Choose Intel or ARM on Surface Pro 9
Besides the Intel processor version mentioned above, Surface Pro 9 also has an ARM processor version called Microsoft SQ3. However, the SQ3 processor has never been appreciated in terms of processing performance like M2.
The highlight of SQ3 comes from the new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capability to bring users a smoother experience when meeting online. Typical of which can be mentioned the large noise cancellation feature to make your meeting more comfortable, put the user in the center of the frame similar to Center Stage or the 5G connection exclusively for the SQ3 version.
In the Geekbench 5.4 test, the processor achieved 1633 points in the single-core part and 8541 in the multi-core part of the CPU test. Meanwhile, ARM processors only reached 1125 points on single-core and 5849 points on multi-core. It’s hard to believe that Intel Gen 12 is 45% more powerful in single-core and 46% more multi-core than SQ3.
In the 4K to 1080p video transcoding test with Handbrake software, the Surface Pro 9 using the Intel chip took only 9 minutes and 34 seconds, while the version using the ARM processor took 12 minutes and 58 seconds. Render times represent a huge performance difference with almost 3.5 minutes of difference.
Even the Intel chip version won the graphics test with the game Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm. The Surface Pro 9 version using Intel Gen 12 achieves 24FPS at 1080p and 17FPS at 1920p. The ARM version using the SQ3 processor only achieves 14 and 11FPS respectively.
The only advantage that the SQ3 processor version brings comes from the battery life of up to 11 hours and 17 minutes. While the Intel version only achieves up to 10 hours of continuous onscreen time. With the support of Snapdragon SoC, the power efficiency management on SQ3 is slightly better, but overall the Intel version is still more complete.
Improved battery life compared to its predecessor
In the continuous web surfing test with the Surface Pro 9 version using the Intel processor, it brought 10 hours of onscreen in WiFi connection conditions and 150 nits brightness. This number is too meager compared to what is announced from Microsoft up to 15.5 hours. However, when compared to Surface Pro 8 with 9 hours and 6 minutes of use, it is still significantly better. And iPad Pro M2 is still the device with the longest use time up to 10 hours 36 minutes.
On the other hand, when testing the temperature through a heat gun, the result is quite cool, only falling to 35.2 degrees Celsius. Test conditions are only for 15 minutes of running with Full HD video and the hottest point is located on the upper side. right side of the device.
Webcams and software
Webcam is an extremely important component for those who regularly participate in online meetings and it is commendable that Surface Pro 9 has a 1080p webcam on the front. The quality is on par with the 14- or 16-inch In addition, Surface Pro 9 also has an additional 10MP camera on the back for a good photography experience.
In terms of quality, the camera on the front gives quite good image quality to participate in online meetings with a somewhat warmer and more vivid skin tone. As for the rear camera, the image quality still meets the needs, but there is good noise and drift compared to the front camera.
All versions on Surface Pro 9 come with Windows 11 license with Microsoft 365 apps and XBox pre-installed. You can try both apps through Microsoft 365 Family edition and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate respectively for 30 days
Surface Slim Pen 2 và Surface Pro Signature Keyboard
Surface Slim Pen 2 and Surface Pro Signature Keyboard are sold separately and are not included, so you have to buy them separately on the Microsoft Store for $ 279 (about 7 million VND).
A removable keyboard connected to a tablet is an indispensable accessory when using Surface. Surface Pro Signature Keyboard has perfect key travel and pressure to make you feel like you are using a professional laptop.
Besides, the equipped touchpad also gives very impressive sensitivity. Although thin, the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard still ensures a good press feeling and excellent resistance.
Slim Pen 2 is still a good accessory for graphic users, who are passionate about drawing, combined with improved AI processing cores that reproduce the great feeling of use like drawing on real paper. However, still feels full like a real pencil instead of as compact as the Slim Pen 2.
In short
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is still a remarkable product. Microsoft Surface Pro 9 still owns many advantages such as a beautiful screen for great entertainment, powerful performance to handle everyday work tasks, and light enough to take with you. In addition, the 2-in-1 tablet also has accessories to help you get the experience of using a real laptop.
